Odometer



Oct. 21

J. K. OLSEN ODOMETER Filed Feb. 1, 1922 IIIIIIIIIII Patented Oct. 21, 1924.

1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN K. OLSEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO STEWART-WARNER SPEEDOM- I ETER CORPORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA.

ODOMETER.

Application filed February 1, 1922. Serial No. 533,175.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN K. OLSEN, a

citizen of the United States, residingin the cityof Chicago, in the county of Cook and 6 State of Illinois, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Odometers, of which the following is a specification,reference being'had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part-thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved construction of a counter train, particularly of the type of an odometer, having the counter wheels graduated in terms of distance of travel of a vehicleto be served byxthe instrument, which shall be simpler and more compact in construction than similar devices heretofore employed.

It consistsin theelements and features of construction shown and described, as indicated in the claims. I

In the drawings Figure 1 is a direct front elevation of an odometerembodying this invention.

' Figure2 is a section at the line, 2--2, on Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a section at the line, 44, on

Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a section at the line, 55, on Figure 3.

Figures 6 and 7 are side elevations of two slightly differing wheels of the speed reducing train... 1

i 'In the structure shown in the drawings ,thereis a frame or support, A, comprising endbearings, A and A ,:in which there is mounted for rotation and limited longitudinal mov'ementa main central shaft, B, for

at the line, on

' which the 1' ournal bearing is provided in the left-hand standard, A, by meansof an intruded bushing,: (1*, adapted, by being screwed in, to be adjusted withina limited range and secured as adjusted by a nut, a.v

The end of the shaft which is journaled in this bushing is axially bored at b for the housing of a spring, F, which reacts between I the shaft and the bushing for yieldingly holding the shaft thrust to the right to a limit-which is determined by the encounter with the bushing, a, of the shoulder, b", formed on-the shaft toward the right-hand I end by reductionin diameter at the righthand-end portion, as shown at B On the shaft, B, there is mounted loosely a drive gear, G, adapted to be driven in-any suitable manner by or from the shaft whose revolutions are to be counted or indicated; and one purpose of this invention is to adapt the instrument for direct driving of this gear by the intruded drive shaft, M, journaled in the frame, A, and having a worm, M, engaged directly with the gear, C, as stated. On the shaft, B, at the right-hand side of the drive gear, O, there are mounted the numeral wheels or dials, D D and D of the odometer trip train, raduated as usual, decimally, the initial right hand dial being graduatedto indicate tenths ofemiles, the next numeral wheel being. the units wheel, and the third at the left being tens wheel.

-Between said tens wheel, D and the drive gear, C, there is disposed a disk spring, K, for taking upthe slack of the trains of dial wheels on the shaft,1and holding the several members thereof in snug relation to each other. At theleft handside of the gear, G, there are shown in succession, three wheels, 6 e and E, which together with carrying pinions, G, on the countershaft, 9, parallel to the shaft, B, constitute the speed-reducing train .from the gear, G, to the lowest graduated dial wheel of the total travel train which culated to give to the wheel, E, the same ro- ,tativespeed as the wheel, D of the trip train, and the reduction from that point in :being by decimals, the wheel, E of the total travel train corresponding to the wheel, D of the trip train. In the particular construction shown in the drawing, the speed reduction from the gear, C, to the dial wheel, E is 500 to 1, and to obtain this speed change inthree steps, one of the steps is necessarily reduction from 5 to 1, which is effected by making the mutilated gear concerned in thisparticular step with two tooth engagements, 180, degrees apart, as seen in Figure 7, while the others have only one such tooth engagement as .seen in Figure 6.

The initial or lowest-denomination wheel, D of the trip train is engaged with the shaft, B, for-rotation by means of spline or inwardly-projecting pin, (1 on the wheel engaging a longitudinal groove, 6 in the shaft, as seen in Figure 3. Similarly, the corresponding wheel, E, of the total travel train is engaged with said shaft, B, by an inwardly-projecting pin, 6, on the wheel onthe journal bushing, a so that when the shaft is thrust in to that limit, the spline or pin, 0, being in the groove, 7), the shaft rotates without rotating the numeral whee-l, E, and therefore, of course, without operating any of the remainder of the total travel train.

Because the wheels, 6 e and E, are in the same mechanical relation to the structure as the dial wheels of the total travel train, and might he graduated, if it were desired, to indicate travel, but are not so graduated. l have termed these wheelsdummy or numeralless dials; and be cause the wheel, E, has the same speed of rotation as the lowest denomination wheel, D of the trip train. I find it convenient to refer to this wheel, E, as the lowest-denomina tion wheel of the total travel train, although it is not graduated. The dummy wheels, 0- and 6 are both loose on the shaft, and the wheel, 6 is rigid for rotation with the drive wheel; and, as indicated above, these wheels, 6 e and E, together with the carrying means connecting them successively, constitute the speed-reducing train by which i the speed derived by the wheel, E, from the drive wheeLC, is reduced to one-fiftieth of that of said drive wheel.

- The right-hand end of the shaft, 18, is provided with an operating knob, B The operation of the structure described will be understood to be, that in the ordinary operation,-that is, when driven by a wheel or shaft whose speed is to be indicated,rotary motion is first communicated through said gear wheels, 0'- and 2 and their respective carrying means to the wheel, E, which by the spline-and-groove engagement described, rotates the shaft, l3. Said shaft, B, in turn by the spline-andgroove engagement described, wheel D of the trip train; and from said whee-ls, E and D respectively, pro-per rotation is to be made by the carrying devices to the successive wheels of the trip train and total travel train, respectively.

For resetting, the operator will push inward on the knob,'B*, thrusting the shaft, ii, tothe inward limit, causing the disengagement of said shaft from the gear, E,but not affecting the engagement of the shaft with the gear, D While the shaft is thus thrust inward, it may be rotated in. either rotates the 'lowestdenomination.

direction for setting the trip train either forward or barl-:\.'\-ard to any desired point, without affecting the total travel train. For holding the shaftat the iii-thrust position described, and also for preventing; it from being too easily thrust in by accidental impact with the knob, the shaft has two grooves. I) and just back of the stop shoulder, If; and there is provided a spring loop, S, which is sprung onto the shaft and into one of the grooves, h, before the bushing, 41?, is screwed into the bearing standard; and said bushing when screwed in confines the spring loop, S, in the bearing, preventing any movement of the loop longitudinally of the shaft. When the shaft is pushed inward the spring loop snaps over from the groove, 7), in the groove, 6 and engages the latter groove deeply and strongly enough to prevent disengagement by 'the'reacting thrust of the spring, S, but permitting the shafttobe readily pulled out again, snapping the spring over into the groove.

It will be observed that by reason of the fact that the total assemblage of wheels on the shaftfully occupies the space between the bearing members afforded by the standards, A and A and the bushings therein, except as to the accommodation which is taken care of by the spring, K, the longitudinal movement of the shaft, B, for resetting the trip train will have no tendency to displace the gear C, out'of engagement with the driving worm of the inleading shaft, so long as the spring, K, is stiff enough to overcome the slight frictionalengagement of the gear, C, with the shaft. And this is found to be adequate means for insuring the undisturbed engagement of the gear, 0, with its driving means.

I claim 1. In a reset-ting device for a revolution counter in combination with a frame structure, a-main central shaft supported insaid frame; two decimal series of counter wheels on said shaft, the several wheels of eachseries being side by side on the shaft; a driven gear on said shaft, and driving connections from said gear to said shaft and also to the lowest denomination wheel of one of the series of counter wheels, the lowest denomination wheel of the other series being engaged with said shaft for rotation thereby, both of said 'sha-ft engagements being sliding, the first adapted for disengagement upon a predetermined sliding movement of the shaft and the second'adapted for continuous engagement throughout the sliding movement, and means for preventing lateral displacement of the counter wheels in said longitudinal movement of the shaft; whereby such longitudinal movement of the shaft disconnects it as to rotation both from the driven shaft and from the first mentioned series of counter wheels without disengagement from the second series.

2. In combination with a frame structure a main central and integral shaft, supported in said frame; two decimal series of counter wheels on said shaft, the wheels of each series being side by side thereon and the lowest denomination wheel of one series being engaged with said shaft for rotation thereby, a driven gear on said shaft; and driving connections from said gear to said shaft and also with the lowest denomination wheel of one of said series, both said engagements of said shaft being adapted to permit longitudinal movement of the shaft, the second mentioned engagement being adapted for disengagement by such longitudinal movement to a predetermined limit the other of said engagements being continuous throughout such movement, means for preventing lateral displacement of the counter wheels by longitudinal movement of the shaft.

3. In the construction defined in claim 1 foregoing, the driving connection between the gear and the lowest denomination counter wheel mentioned being disengageable by the longitudinal movement of said integral shaft In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 28 day of Jan. 1922.

JQHN K. OLSEN. 

